Matrix slide block for typographical machines



p l 1940- H. R. FREUND 2,196,148

MATRIX SLIDE BLOCK FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES Filed July 2'7, 1939 INVENTOR HER/1,4 R. FEE/1w W2, A). M462;

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 2, 1940 PATENT OFFICE MATRIX SLIDE BLOCK FOR TYPO- GRAPHICAL MACHINES Herman R. Freund, Brooklyn,

N. Y., assignor to Intertype Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 27, 1939, Serial No. 286,834

8 Claims.

This invention relates to typographical slug casting machines of the general organization represented in U. S. Letters Patent No. 436,532 granted September 16, 1890, wherein a type slug is cast in a slotted mold against the characters on an assembled line of matrices clamped endwise while supported on rails in a vertically movable line transporter which presents the matrices edgewise with the characters aligned before the casting slot in the mold, molten metal being injected from the rear of the slot to thereby produce the slug bearing the type characters of the matrices in the assembled line.

For producing quads, borders, rules and the like it is common practice to employ a single noncirculating element variously termed quad, border, or matrix-slide block which in effect is nothing more than a longitudinally elongated matrix without combination teeth, it having the same size in cross section as an ordinary matrix, upper and lower aligning ribs projecting from its front and rear faces which correspond to the upper and lower ears or lugs on the ordinary matrix, and having in its front or casting face a recess into which is fitted an exchangeable matrix strip or slide containing the formative character or design it is desired to produce. Although the character or design on the slide may be located in either the normal or the auxiliary alignment position it is usually located in the normal position (position of the upper inverted character on standard two-letter matrices) and the aligning rib along the lower edge of the casting face then engages the lower or normal aligning groove in the mold to thereby align the character or design with the casting slug. Should the character on the slide be located in the auxiliary position (position of the lower inverted character on two letter matrices) the aligning rib on the 40 block would, of course, engage the auxiliary or upper aligning groove in the mold. The block is supported on the usual matrix supporting rails of the line transporter into which it is inserted by hand and descent of the transporter to the proper level is determined by an adjustable stop interposed between it and the usual vise frame of the machine.

As heretofore constructed slide blocks have been limited to use with standard molds having aligning grooves in the normal and auxiliary positions which are standard for one-letter matrices with characters up to 36 points in height and two-letter matrices with characters up to 14 points in height. More recently, however, it has become the practice to employ two-letter matrices with either two 18- or two 24-point characters thereon, the upper character in either size being punched in the normal alignment position (position of the upper inverted character on twoletter 14-point matrices) but the lower inverted character in either size being punched in the auxiliary or high alignment position corresponding to that established for what are commonly known as high alignment head-letter molds as distinguished from ordinary standard alignment molds, such head-letter molds having the normal aligning groove of the standard molds but an auxiliary or high alignment groove located at a much higher level (closer to the casting face of the mold body) than the corresponding auxiliary groove on ordinary molds.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved matrix slide block adapted for use in standard machines to increase the utility of head-letter molds, thus enabling the production of border material and the like in 18 point and much larger sizes on machines equipped with such molds and avoiding the necessity of changing over to standard alignment molds to which the ordinary slide block is exclusively suited, or of introducing an abnormal alignment level for arresting the usual line transporter in order properly to cooperate with such molds. To this end the invention provides a slide block having the character or design on the slide member thereof located in the auxiliary position common to head-letter molds and to the lower character on two-letter 18- and 24-point matrices from which slugs are cast in these molds, and with an aligning rib located thereon at a lower level than usual, preferably at such level as to cooperate with the normal aligning groove on head-letter molds when the block is presented before such molds at the head letter alignment level.

Specifically the improved block is longer in vertical section than a standard matrix or the ordinary slide block, it being extended downwardly over all or at least such portion of its frontto-rear width as will provide a substantial body of material below the slide accommodating recess therein to adequately support an aligning rib thereon when said recess is widened vertically to the extent necessary for a character therein to be aligned in head-letter position. Since the improved block is intended for use only with headletter molds the usual narrow rib along the lower rear edge is widened vertically, it preferably extending clear to the bottom of the elongated block to thus prevent insertion of the block at the upper level on the duplex rail of the line trans-.

porter, the vertical face of this rib bearing as usual against the front jaw of the transporter to assist in retaining the block in a true vertical position at all times.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a portion of the vise and the upper end of the usual line transporter of a typographical machine, as well as a head-letter mold and the mouth portion of a metal pot; these parts being shown in Easting relation with the slide block of the invenion.

Figure 2 shows the slide block of the invention in end elevation with the character thereon located in the same position as the lower character on the two-letter matrix in this figure.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the slide block of the invention.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several figures.

Referring to Figure l, the line transporter I having front and back matrix supporting jaws 2 and 3 respectively is arranged as usual to move vertically in suitable guides, not shown, in the vise 4, the latter being provided on its upper surface with selectable stops of different heights to cooperate with the stop screw 5 in the vertically movable line transporter and thus arrest the latter at a required level according to the mold in amuse and the alignment position of the characters on the matrices. In the present instance only one selectable stop, designated 8, is shown, this being the high-alignment stop provided on the machine for arresting the transporter at the 5l'proper level to align matrix characters with the casting slot in head-letter molds.

As shown, the mold comprises a cap portion 1 and a body portion 8 which are secured together and to the mold carrier 9 in any well known manner and provide by their inner opposed faces a casting slot I0 into which molten metal from the metal pet I l is forced at the rear to cast a slug bearing on its front edge the characters borne by the matrices presented at the front 01 the mold. The mold body 8 is provided with upper and lower matrix aligning grooves 12 and 13 respectively, the latter groove being located in the normal position as on ordinary molds for aligning before the mold slot the characters on pone-letter matrices up to 14 points in height and the upper character on two-letter matrices up to 14 points in height. The upper groove 12, however, is located in the auxiliary or high alignment position established for head-letter molds,

this position being adapted for aligning before the mold slot one-letter matrix characters over 36 points in height and the lower character on two-letter matrices when such character is over 14 points in height.

The matrix slide block i l is provided in its casting face with a dovetail recess It to accommodate a slide member l5 wide enough vertically to accommodate a character or design i'l over 14 points in height (actually 24 points) with the lower or base line of the character aligned at the head-letter or high alignment level. With a slide it sufliciently wide to carry such character or design so aligned on an ordinary block of the same length vertically as a standard matrix the recess i5 would extend so near the bottom end of the block as to leave only a narrow and weak section of material below the recess for supporting an aligning rib located at a level suitable for cooperation with the auxiliary or high alignment groove l2 on the heade'letter mold body It]. Thus,

according to the present invention the block 14 is elongated downwardly preferably over all of the front-to-rear width of the body, as shown, and an aligning rib i8 is provided at such level on the elongated body portion as to cooperate with the normal aligning groove it on the mold. It will be seen that such elongation of the block provides a substantial body of material below the recess l5 for supporting the rib iii, the greater space between the inner surfaces of the upper and lower ribs on the casting face of the block enabling the wider slide IE to be accommodated without weakening the block.

As shown in Figure l the block i4 is supported by its upper ribs I!) on the usual mat ix supporting rails 20 in the jaws 2 and 3 of the vertically movable line transporter I which in the case of the head-letter mold shown has descended to a level determined by the high alignment stop 6 which is adjustable into and out of operative relation with the stop screw 5 in the tra 'lSPOltBI according to whether head-letter or standard alignment molds are being employed. The slight gap ii between stop 6 and screw 5 is the result of the usual upward urge exerted on the line transporter to firmly press the upper surface of the aligning rib l8 against the opposed surface of the mold aligning groove (3 during the slug casting operation.

Since the block I4 is intended for use only in connection with head-letter molds, means is provided to avoid confusion by safeguarding against insertion of the block in the line transporter at the improper level such as on the duplex rail 22 (position occupied by two-letter 14-point matrices when casting from the lower or auxiliary position character thereon). Thus, instead of having a rib along its front face corresponding to the lower front lug 22 on ordinary matrices and slide blocks, the block M has a surface 23 which in effect is a downward extension of the outer surface of the ordinary matrix lug 25, the surface 23, like the corresponding surface of the front lugs on matrices, bearing against the front jaw 2 of the line transporter to retain the block in a true vertical position when upward pressure is applied to the transporter as usual to force rib l8 firmly against the aligning groove [3 in the mold.

In Figure 2 the line X-X indicates the high alignment level or head-letter position of the character I! on the block M, such position corresponding to the position of the lower inverted character (high alignment character) on two letter 18- and 24-point matrices, represented by the matrix M, and one-letter matrix characters over 36 points in height. The line Y-Y indicates the level of the top or aligning surface of the lower set of lugs on matrices M and ordinary slide blocks and shows clearly that the recess I5' in block M falls below this level to such extent that if the block [4 were of ordinary length, the same as the matrix M, an aligning rib at such level would be joined to the body of the block only by a narrow section of material too weak to adequately support it.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides a novel matrix slide block suitable for use with head-letter molds employed in the usual line casting machines, such block having means for aligning a character or design located thereon in auxiliary head-letter position with the casting slot in such molds, not by cooperation with the auxiliary or high alignment groove thereon or by introducing special and 1. In a typographical machine having line transporter provided Withlails for supporting transporter is arrested at the head-letter matrices there-in at normal and auxiliary alignment levels, a matrix slide block having supporting means so located thereon as to prevent its insertion in the transporter at the auxiliary aligning level.

2. In a typographical machine having a slotted mold provided with a lower normal matrix aligning groove and an upper auxiliary aligning groove, a line transporter adapted to support matrices of standard length therein and present such matrices at normal and auxiliary aligning levels and efiect alignment of the characters thereon with the mold slot by cooperation of the lugs n the matrices with the corresponding aligning groove on the mold, and a matrix slide block bearing a character located in the auxiliary aligning position and having means for supporting it in said transporter only at the normal aligning level, said block having a body portion of greater length than that of the standard matrix and provided with an aligning rib cooperative with the normal aligning groove on the mold when the block is presented before the mold by said transporter at the auxiliary aligning leve.

3. In a typographical machine, the combination of a mold having a casting slot andmatrix aligning grooves located at normal and head-letter alignment levels, a vertically movable line transporter for presenting matrices of standard dimension to the casting slot at either of such levels according to the location of the characters thereon, means for arresting thetransporter at the required level, and a matrix slide block hearing a character located thereon at'head-letter alignment level, said block having means for supporting it in the transporter for presentation of the character thereon to the mold slot when the alignment level and having means extending downward beyond the standard matrix dimension for aligning the character on the block with said slot by cooperation with the normal aligning groove in the mold. I

4. In a typographical machine, the combination of a mold having a casting slot and matrix aligning grooves located at normal and head-letter alignment levels for cooperation of the aligning lugs on matrices of standard length, a matrix slide block bearing a character adapted normally to align with the mold slot by cooperation with the head-letter aligning groove on the mold, said block having a downwardly extended portion with an aligningrib formed thereon to permit positions forthe line trans- I alignment of the characteron the slide with the mold slot by cooperation with the matrix aligning groove located at the normal level on the mold.

5. In a typographical machine having a slotted mold provided with lower normal and upper auxiliary aligning grooves respectively for aligning correspondingly located characters on the-.matrices of standard length before the casting slot in the mold, a matrix slide block bearing a character located on the slide member thereof in the auxiliary aligning position and having .a body portion of greater than standard length to accommodate the slide member, said body portion carrying an aligning rib disposed opposite the normal aligning groove on the mold when the character on the slide is aligned before the casting slot in said mold.

6. In a typographical machine having a mold provided with upper and lower matrix aligning grooves for cooperation with the lower lugs on standard matrices to align characters located thereon respectively in head-letter and normal alignment positions with the casting slot in the mold, a matrix slide block having a character of extended height on the slide member thereof and located in head-letter alignment position, the slide member extending at least to the level of the aligning surfaces of the lugs on standard matrices to accommodate such character, said slide block having a downwardly extending body portion with a rib disposed thereon at suchlevel as to enable cooperation thereof with the lower or normal aligning groove in the mold to thereby align the character on the slide with the casting slot in the mold.

7. In a typographical machine having a mold provided with upper and lower matrix aligning grooves for cooperation with the lower lugs on standard matrices bearing characters located respectively in head-letter and normal positions to align such characters before the casting slot in the mold, a matrix slide block having a character of extended height located in head-letter position, the slide member bearing such character extending below the level at which the aligning surfaces of the lugs on standard matrices are normally disposed, said block having-a downwardly extending body portion with an aligning surface adapted to align the character on the slide with the mold slot by cooperation with the lower or normal aligning'groove on the mold.

8. In a typographical machine having a mold provided with normal and head-letter matrix aligning grooves for aligning characters located respectively in normal and head-letter aligning positions on matric s of standard length, a matrix slide block having a character-bearing slide of greater vertical width than the character bear- HERMAN R. FREUND. k 

